Letter: Into the wild

There have been recent reports of coyotes in Santa Monica, but their presence is nothing new (“Coyotes moving to Santa Monica’s southern limits,” Nov. 13). I’ve enjoyed nocturnal walks in Santa Monica for the past 20 years, and I see coyotes, on average, every 18 months.

Just this past weekend, around 3:30 a.m., I saw two coyotes wandering California and Fourth Street. It’s the first time I saw a coyote couple since the late 1990s, when I’d occasionally see a pair wandering around 15h Street, near Alta and Marguerita avenues.

Almost always I see lone coyotes, north of Montana, in the wee morning hours. But in early 2012 I saw four coyotes along Georgina, between 14th and 17th streets, around 4 a.m. They entered a homeowner’s front yard, and from there, presumably, the back yard. In 2011, I saw a coyote around Georgina and 21st, at 8 p.m., Saturday. (I assume there’s less traffic to scare them off on weekends.) He followed me a few blocks, the only time I ever saw such a fearless coyote. Even the pack of four kept their distance from me. In the early 2000s I saw one coyote several times, on Centinela.

I’ve never had problems with coyotes. If one follows me, I stop and stare at him. He always stops too and, seeing that I’m unafraid, follows me no more.

I’ve seen raccoons and what looked like possums on Centinela. I’ve seen a possum on California. I’ve seen raccoons — whole families of them — north of Montana. And a lone raccoon on Arizona, my only wildlife spotting in the Mid-City area. Several times, when they see me, the raccoons rush for a storm drain, where they apparently live.

I’ve never met a hostile coyote. They mostly seem wary or uninterested. Whereas raccoons often look at me with fierce, hostile expressions. At least that’s how they look to me. But they keep their distance, and I keep mine.

Santa Monica is beautiful in the wee hours. Smog and heat have dissipated. No noisy traffic. No people shouting into cell phones. And occasionally, one is lucky enough to see wildlife.